10 years ago on April 17, 2007, I went through a major surgery to rid my body of cancer. I was 20 years old and had no idea how sick I was until coughing up blood in my dorm on Easter Sunday. (You can watch my story here.) After my parents traveled to Tulsa to take me back home to Dallas, I underwent one of the most difficult weeks of my life. Prior to the surgery, the enemy threw punch after punch to knock me down. Then the day of my surgery came and I was wheeled into the surgery room. All of the bright hospital lights & shiny silver knives on the table next to me. I asked if I could keep my bible with me on the table and the doctor agreed.

After the surgery, I woke up to an unquenchable thirst...and quickly realized that I couldn't talk to tell the nurse I needed water. That was rough. She finally came over and gave me some ice cubes. (Thanks a lot. Lol) But that was all I could take. I spent the next few days in the hospital with these massage boots on my legs to keep my circulation flowing. I couldn't walk, talk, eat or drink. They basically shut my body down in order to remove half of my left lung to get rid of the malignant (cancer) mass and all the surrounding lymph nodes. I started practicing walking down the hall arm and arm with my dad a few days later. The nurse said if I could walk down the hall and to the windows and back, then I could go home. With my goal in mind, I practiced and prayed and gathered my strength to make it overtime. Finally, I was discharged and wheeled down to the hospital exit. I'll never forget the sound of the birds singing outside as my dad pulled up his SUV to take me home. I cry just thinking about that....

God has a way of turning our place of pain into our place of rejoicing.

— Emonne Markland

April has a special place in my heart. As does Easter. It was in this month that I suffered and recovered a disease that kills lives everyday. For whatever reason, God drew a bloodline around me and wouldn't let me die at 20. Then fast forward two years later, April 2009, I got married to the love of my life. Someone I didn't even deserve. Who had prayed for me and believed for my healing when I overlooked him for years. Fast forward to April 2011, Easter Sunday, I was in labor with my baby girl and gave birth on the following day, April 25. And now here I am, April 17, 2017, 30 years old and pregnant with my baby boy.

God has a way of turning our place of pain into our place of rejoicing. I pray that my story brings you encouragement to believe that the same hand that allows pain and suffering is faithful to bring joy and healing. IN THE SAME PLACE!

To God be the glory for reminding me yet again that He is the Resurrection and the Life. He will always give us beauty for ashes. The oil of joy for morning. And the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. The same God that did it for me, will do it for you.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Blessed Facts: • 1/2 the world lives on less than $2/day • 80% of the world has no roof, electricity or running water. • Everything is God's and you are a steward.

Truth:

• As an American, I am blessed beyond my comprehension. While most people on earth are concerned about their next meal or fresh water, I am not. And chances are you're not either.

Too often we focus on what we don't have rather than what we do have. We allow our desires for the next high-tech device or trendy outfit overrule our ability to be thankful and content. Hey, I'm all for reaching forward and dreaming big, as long as we don't forget to thank God for what He's already done.

This is a big reason why I'm doing this 30 Days of Thanksgiving. To get you and I back to thanking God daily for His provision and blessings, many of which we can't even see. And also to consider ways to be a blessing to others, which is what leave your beauty mark is all about!

So, what are you thankful for today? Have you been on a missions trip or lived in another country where you've seen extreme poverty as I mentioned earlier? Are you thankful for the basic blessings of life that we so often neglect to even acknowledge? Please share your thoughts!

I've heard it said that friends are the family God allows you to choose. Oh, how I agree... I have been blessed with friends that encourage me and allow me to be myself. Always uplifting, inspiring and walking by faith. Overcomers. Warriors in the army of the Lord, yet gentle and loving. Never talking about people, always planning and executing dreams to build God's kingdom. Confident in who they are and never allowing the hurdles of life to deter them from their missions.

For the past year, I have been working relentlessly on this project and am confident that it will be a blessing to you and many others. As part of the Beauty Marked community, I want to personally thank you for encouraging me throughout this process with your comments and feedback on the blog posts I've shared. I can't say thank you enough, and believe that Break Every Chain truly is my best work to date.

All throughout college, I wanted a MacBook Pro to write and use for school. I remember seeing other students with sleek, high-tech laptops...while I had a chunky, loud Dell. (Sorry Dell...it is what it is. Lol.) I didn't have an extra $1000 lying around, so I had to wait. I was tempted to make it happen in my own strength, but the doors kept closing in my face.

Agape.
Unconditional, Christ-like love. This is what I experienced in a beautiful way today.

I arrived at the door of my church hoping for a miracle. Nothing life-changing, or so I thought.

The deal was, I wanted to attend the KAIROS freedom ministry conference and had no idea how I could make it. It's 9-5. It's Thursday and Friday. It's adults only. So, as the wife of a working man and mother of a toddler...eh, it just wasn't happening. But, I told the Lord a few months ago that I wanted to go and asked Him to make a way. I had since forgotten about my small request and was busy with life up until this week. At the last minute, God showed up and provided a way for me to go. The only problem was, it appeared that the conference was full and registration was closed. Still, I got dressed and ready for the conference, determined to just sit outside of the sanctuary and listen if need be.

So, as I walked in, I replayed the speech in my mind of how I would ask the volunteer to put me on a standby list for if any registrants didn't show up so I could take their spot. When I arrived at the registration table, I gave my speech. I've experienced situations where you are reprimanded for things like this, so I braced myself for the worst. And then, love showed up.

The volunteer smiled and told me that it wasn't a problem at all and pointed to a sign up sheet where I could register on the spot. She handed me my conference package, which included a beautiful conference workbook, Kleenex (you know it's gonna be good when they hand out Kleenex in your package!) and a map to locate nearby restaurants for lunch.

Now, this may seem like no big deal to you. But to me, this was everything. It was as if God was expressing His love for me by welcoming me in even when I didn't deserve it. Even when I was late in registering and didn't know how it would all work out, He showed up in that small way. And that was just the beginning of a powerful day of freedom ministry and worship.

Thank you, God, for showing your love towards me in this small way. And thank you for doing the same for my friends that are reading today. You truly left Your beauty mark on my heart. And I am so thankful.

So, what are you thankful for this evening? How did God show up in your day today? Let me know and express you gratitude for His goodness in a post below! I look forward to sharing with you tomorrow of God's goodness through the Beauty Marked 30 Days of Thanksgiving series!

Since the beginning of the month, I've decided to do 30 Days of Thanksgiving (30DOT) here at BeautyMarked. Each day, I've been sharing something or someone that I'm thankful for. Today I am thankful for my mom.

America, we have just elected our president for the next 4 years. Many people are worried, angry and hopeless by the results. Many others are hopeful, proud and excited for what's to come. Here's my stance:

The same God that was in control of my life the last 4 years is the same God that will be in control the next.

Here's what the Lord says in His word:

“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5-8 NLT)

Friends, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, our hearts purified by love and our hope in God through prayer. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are members of the Kingdom of God. We serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are empowered by the Spirit. We are commanded to love.

Last night, I had a powerful dream about the future of our nation and feel very strongly about the importance of prayer and love as we go into the next four years of presidential leadership. It's important to keep our hearts right, guard our words and walk in love no matter what. Remember: prayer, not politics, will bring the change we all desire to see in this nation. The same weight of responsibility we have to vote is the same weight of responsibility we have to pray. Please, pray for our president and nation as believers in Jesus. This is the way to true health and healing in our nation.

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT)

Today, I'm thankful for my ability to vote, as many people fought for this right. But most importantly, I'm thankful that God is in control. He is the leader of my heart. He is the captain to my ship. He is the source of my freedom and my hope is fully in His ability to shift the heart of our president and our nation towards Him. As we head to bed tonight, let's rest in peace, remain united in prayer and hopeful in our God's lordship over all.

GOD IS IN CONTROL.

So, what are you thankful for tonight? Do you trust that God is in control? Are you committed to walking in love, praying for our president and elected officials and keeping your heart pure?

Anesthesia?
I know...not my average blog topic. But today, it is absolutely necessary. I got a few fillings done at the dentist and as I was praying during the procedure I took a moment to thank God for the local anesthetic. I mean, c'mon people...imagine having dental filings, a root canal, or oral surgery without being numb!! Yikes!!!!

I'm thankful for modern dentistry and learned a lot from working in the dental industry a few years. My dentist is such a loving, caring woman of God and it's always a pleasure to be in her care. Most importantly, I'm thankful for the fact that God is with me everywhere I go.

Tonight, I want to encourage you that God is with you wherever you go. Whether you're in the dental chair, the hospital bed, a classroom, playing on the floor with your kids, the basketball court or just alone in your room, God is there. He is El Roi, the God who sees you wherever you are. Aren't you thankful for that tonight?! I know I am.

So tonight, thank you God for local anesthesia... and for seeing me and every reader of this post.

Friend, what are you thankful for tonight? Leave a post below and join me in thanking God for something or someone in your life tonight. I look forward to reading your comments!

Hello, my loves!!! I know it's been a few weeks since we've spoken but I'm excited to get back to blogging with you! I've been working on an exciting project and can't wait to share the details with you soon!
Last November, I participated in the #30DaysofThanksgiving challenge on Instagram. As I took time to reflect on God's goodness and express my gratitude for all He has done, I was encouraged and reminded of His faithfulness. This year, I want to share my 30 days of thanksgiving here on Beauty Marked. You can also join me on Instagram (@EmonneMarkland) and post your own #30DaysofThanksgiving posts! I pray that you are encouraged & reminded of God's faithfulness in your own life. So, let's get started!

Day 1: Stephan

This tall, dark and handsome man waited 3 YEARS for me in college while I was, well...in my process. Ha. Months before we got engaged, God led me to write out everything I wanted in a spouse. I was tired of counterfeits and didn't even want to THINK about marriage, but I obeyed God and began to write & dream again. I titled that list "My Manifestation of Love", since I wanted a husband that would be a physical manifestation/representation of God's love for me. God answered every desire of my heart & exceeded my expectations. He is the answer to my prayers, my best friend, my team mate, my bodyguard, my support & my love. He is a loving father to our daughter Grace and a great leader to our family. And for the record, he's the best, most anointed drummer I've ever heard. I still get chills every time he plays...

Thank you, Jesus, for Stephan Markland.

So, what or who are you thankful for today? Leave a comment below and express your gratitude for God's goodness in your life!